The Best Total-Body Strength-Training Workout

Time to flex!

Yesterday started with a cardio push, so today we’re slowing things down to focus on building strength. There are plenty of reasons you should be regularly integrating strength training into your workouts—and several that have nothing to do with weight loss. Strength training helps your bones stay strong, helps to increase muscle mass, and can improve cardiovascular health.

Instead of pushing yourself to complete as many reps as possible in a certain amount of time (like you did yesterday), today, focus on doing 12 perfect reps of each move. As soon as you finish one move, you'll immediately start on the next—so you’ll still get your heart rate up, simply because there's no rest until the end of the circuit. Our trainer, Bianca Vesco, a personal trainer and certified group fitness instructor at NYSC Lab in NYC, designed this workout exclusively for SELF. Don't forget to try the new bonus she created at the end—it's only three minutes long, but we promise it will leave you sweaty!

You should always start your workout with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. We suggest this three-move warm-up Bianca created for the Challenge, and her five-minute cool-down. Keep scrolling for a detailed breakdown of the moves!

Alternating Lateral Lunge

Stand with your feet together, core engaged. Hands can be held on hips or in a prayer position at chest.

Shift weight to left foot and step to the right with your right foot, as you send hips back, and bend right knee, keeping left leg perfectly straight. You should feel your glutes and core engaged, and a stretch along the inner left leg.

Step right foot to meet left to return to starting position. Repeat on the other side.

Bonus: Dirty 30

Alternating Lateral Lunge

Stand with your feet together, core engaged. Hands can be held on hips or in a prayer position at your chest.

Shift weight to your left foot and step to the right with your right foot, as you send hips back, and bend right knee, keeping left leg perfectly straight. You should feel your glutes and core engaged, and a stretch along the inner left leg.

Step right foot to meet left to return to starting position. Repeat on the other side.

Superman Plank Walk

Start in high plank position with shoulders over wrists and back straight.

Keep the back of your neck soft with gaze slightly at the floor as you move both hands about six inches forward. Try to keep your core and glutes engaged the entire time so your lower back doesn’t sink toward the floor.

Return hands to starting position for 1 rep. Repeat, alternating which hand you move forward first.